Author: TeeJay
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 7:58 am
I’ll respectfully disagree with Hessler. I’ve been on methadone, Suboxone and naltrexone… I have also done 12-step meetings, SMART meetings and even religion. Each have their own set of pro’s and con’s. IMO none is better or worse than the other. Hessler seems to have an unhealthy belief that Suboxone is somehow much worse than every other drug out there. Suboxone is just an opioid. It just happens to have some qualities that makes it useful in the treatment of addiction – namely its long half life and ceiling effect. These benefits also lend to its downside. Protracted half-life always ends up in protracted withdrawal.
I’ve detoxed off buprenorphine and methadone multiple times, and I’d still prefer to come off buprenorphine. The only benefit methadone withdrawal may have over Sub is that it’s more predictable. Even if its withdrawal is nastier, at least jumping off it I’d know what to expect.
As for being the 10%. The figures are probably closer to 6%. And you know what the most interesting thing is? It doesn’t seem to matter what method of recovery one chooses, that "abstinence" rate seems to always be around 6%.
ie a person who tries to quit opioids without using any kinda rehab program or medication … about 6-10%. a person who goes on drug-replacement (a la methadone / Suboxone) then gets off it? Around 6-10%. People who go to rehab? Long term abstinence = 6-10%. People who go to NA/AA? 6-10%. What this goes to show is that the program a person’s using or method they’re using for assistance really means fuck all compared to who that person is, and what qualities they have.
Those figures may look grim, but it’s also important to look at it this way. This is basic probability. I know it’s hard to apply when we’re talking about human being, and things are a lot more complex. But it still makes a point that persistence is really critical in this game.
Chances of relapse:
1st try – 94%
2nd try – 88%
3rd try – 83%
4th try – 78%
5th try – 73%
6th try – 68%
7th try – 64%
8th try – 60%
9th try – 57%
etc. Basically what I’m sayin is that a person should never give up on trying to get off opioids. Not only statistically does a person have a better chance each try, but each try a person learns something new, something important to avoid. However if a person doesn’t learn from their mistakes, and doesn’t grow and learn as a person and apply those lessons to their recovery, their chances at staying clean will remain pretty low no matter how much they try.
Now here’s where things like Suboxone and methadone can really help. These drugs allow a person to develop and better themselves so they can grow-out of the behaviours that lead to relapse whilst having a safety net.
Another thing that’s really important about these stats is that stats are about OTHER PEOPLE. They don’t represent one person’s chances of staying clean. They represent how many people in a sample of the population stay clean. These are NOT you. These "studies" have no idea the kinda person you are, what kinda qualities you have, whether you have the characteristics and features of a person who’s ready to stay clean long term. These studies are about OTHER PEOPLE.